A multi-media handout prepared by Nancy Arsenault and Todd Lucier of the Tourism Cafe to accompany the keynote address at the Travel Manitoba conference titled: Sharing the Manitoba Story ... Building the Visitor Experience. Thanks to the innovative spirit of Wayne Copet, Laurenda Madill and Karla Pratt of the Industry Development team, after weaving their conference together, they wanted a 'take away' that was more than a piece of paper. Look inside and hear the story of 4 presenters by clicking on the links - or be cool and use the QR codes! Here from travel media writer Shel Zolkewich, Tyler Schroeder from the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Louise Stitt from the Meandher Pumpkin Patch and Marie-France Doucet from Le Pays de la Sagouine how they use storytelling to build tourism!

1. Sharing Manitoba’s Story ...
Building the Visitor Experience
Manitoba Tourism Conference
11 April 2011

2. by Dr. Nancy Arsenault & Todd Lucier
Everyone has a story to tell!
When people are excited, engaged, challenged, or surprised, stories emerge and the desire to share them is
a natural human impulse. Whether you create the story, or it is a tale passed on through time, stories are
captivating and your story is unique!
Why are stories so powerful?
http://shelzolkewich.com/
First of all, everyone can relate to a good story.
Storytelling is one of the first ways we
communicate with others as a child. All stories:
• Make a point,
• Have characters,
• Bring broader understanding and relevance
to situations,
• Can be told in ways that bring you into the
story,
• Connect people and places, past and
present, and they evolve with time,
• Reveal the emotional side of the person
telling the story, and Shel Zolkewich
Travel Writer
• When meaningful, they are memorable!
You donʼt have to be a genius to create and tell a
great story; all you need is passion, confidence, Listen to her media story.
and an audience.
http://tcafe.ca/travel-mb-media-story
Social media thrives on stories!
The more authentic the voice, the more credible the message. Sharing stories helps us:
• Connect with the emotional side of people vs. the rational side. Itʼs more
engaging than traditional marketing!
• Develop relationships with people and communities of common interest.
• Share with friends, families and fans on Facebook, Trip Advisor, Twitter,
YouTube, Blogs
… and the list goes on!
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3. What’s your tourism story?
A great story sparks the imagination, taps your When stories connect ...
curiosity, and takes you to exciting and thought
provoking places. You establish a shared history. Your
business becomes part of their stories, they
Do you want to create a compelling reason to visit
your destination? Create lasting memories for your become part of yours. The family from
visitors? Share an aspect of your community, MacGregor who discovered “Angus” is
culture, or heritage that is unique, authentic, and living proof, as you will hear from Tyler.
yours? If so, stories are part of the solution.
http://www.discoverfossils.com/
Connecting people and places.
Stories can be used as a foundation for theming
tourism product development, then evolving the story
so that it has relevance to different niche markets.
Whether you are in a rural community or the heart of
an urban centre, every business, destination, and
region has a story to tell.
Folk tales, historical stories, personal narratives,
tragedies, comedies, and journeys are just a few
types of stories that all destinations have which can
Tyler Schroeder
be brought to life and crafted into a meaningful,
memorable visitor experience. General Manager
Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre
Stories can differentiate or connect you to similar
businesses. For example cool fossils in the groundʼ Listen to his market
could draw a visitor to the Canadian Fossil Discovery development story.
Centre in Morden Manitoba where guests can
http://tcafe.ca/travel-mb-market
unearth marine monsters. They can also link you to
similar places such as the Tyrrell Museum in
Drumheller Alberta, where there are dinosaurs!
Elements of a great story:
If fossils, paleontology, and a chance to get your
fingers in the dirt and dig for treasures is your thing, • Emotion
you can do both! • Intrigue
• Surprise
From the Gold Rush in the Yukon to the Celtic Tales
• Engagement
of Cape Breton Island, destinations that identify and
• A theme and a great plot
build on their unique stories have endless potential
for staging and delivering meaning to travelers with • A setting
different interests. • Characters - from angels to villains
• Conflict
• A great storyteller!
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4. Stories can transform a community.
Storytelling is a way to pass down customs, cultures, and history.
The stories of the people in your community are unique an interesting to travellers. When creating
visitor experiences with the intent of connecting travellers to people in your community, you create a
value proposition that is much stronger than merely selling tickets to a museum, theatre or festival.
Stories connect with the
http://sagouine.com/
community and they evolve.
In the small village of Bouctouche, New
Marie-France Brunswick, where the population is just over
2300, one story has made a big difference!
Doucet
The character is Antonine Maillet, a renown
General novelist and playwright, who is at the heart of
Manager attracting 68,000 visitors annually to Le Pays
de la Sagouine to enjoy the next chapter of her
story.
Le Pays de la
As General Manager, Marie-France Doucet will
Sagouine tell you, gaining the trust of the community to
share their stories was a challenge at first.
However, through building trust, respect, and
involving the local community, their theatre and
Listen to her product its productions have become a source of
development story. community pride. So much so that the actors
are referred to by their character name, when
http://tcafe.ca/travel-mb-product encountered on the streets by jubilant fans
approaching them on the street!
Storytelling is a way to pass down customs, cultures, and history.
Building stories into travel themes requires Embedded in a good story is a plot that can lend itself
thinking from the visitorʼs lens. to certain props, local characters, and taking
travellers to places that may be off the beaten track.
• Which stories will fit with the audience? Add to this an element of surprise, exploration,
• How can I connect more people with a story? cultural or nature-based immersion and you have all
the elements of a memorable travel experience.
• Do visitors want to hear the
same story twice? If you think in chapters you are already thinking
ahead about the next part of the story, another reason
to visit!
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5. Harvesting stories to grow your business.
Listen carefully to your guests, the stories they tell on
site, the pictures they post to the internet and things they
write about. They all provide clues to discovering what is
important to your guests for product, market, and
http://www.pumpkinfun.ca/
business development.
Louise Stitt and her partners began gathering stories in
2006, before they opened their business in 2007. Louise Stitt
First they toured similar sites to listen and learn from
Partner
other farmers and agri-tourism operators. This provided
excellent intelligence and resulted in a quality network of Meandher
like-minded businesses who remain colleagues today. Pumpkin
Patch
Now enjoying more than 10,000 visitors
annually, Meandher Pumpkin Patch knows
that storytelling has been a valuable research
Listen to her research story.
tool to enrich the visitor experience, improve
site operations, and develop niche markets.
http://tcafe.ca/travel-mb-research
Listen to her story!
Sharing the Manitoba story … Building the visitor experience.
The 2011 Manitoba Tourism Conference has themed At the business-to-business level, taking time to
stories throughout the event to demonstrate the share your story with other businesses is a
relevance to a wide range of tourism businesses. valuable way to learn, grow and avoid making
mistakes!
Using stories to design new tourism experiences,
establish new markets, and connect with travellers is Manitoba has a rich array of stories, based on
a new way of thinking about products and market diverse cultures, and breath-taking landscapes.
development. It also represents a unique business
opportunity. Why leave it to chance or make the visitor
struggle to get the story.
People trust local area storytellers. They are
authentic, honest, engaging, entertaining, and Take action and begin identifying those unique to
awe-inspiring. your community and the people who have a way
with words! Develop them, deliver them and donʼt
forget the media!
Storytelling is a powerful communication tool.
What’s your story?
How will you bring it to life?
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